Occasional ramblings from a conservative retired pastor, now author, on my book,marriage, faith, and whatever else may strike me at the moment.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Honor God with more than just your lips.

Mark 7:6-8 Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.’ For you ignore God’s specific laws and substitute your own traditions."

The bottom line is, we can’t be right with God and make up our own rules. Sadly, so many of us do just that. Instead of just listening to what God says in His Word and striving to live it, we adjust or change it to suit our tastes. God said what He meant and means what He said. The only way we can ever have a right relationship with God is for us to do things His way.

Some will not mess with the Word, but they don’t put into practice what they preach and teach. They put on a good front before others as to how spiritual they are, but their lives betray what they say. They may wow people with how well they know the Scriptures and be very persuasive in how they present it, but if they are not as real out of the limelight as they are in it, they are hypocrites in God’s eyes.

When our living does not support our teachings, our worship is a farce. God is not impressed or swayed in any way by performance. Worship that is acceptable to God is godliness lived out every day of our lives. It is a natural response to God from a grateful heart. It is a yearning to be near to God and to hear from Him as He speaks. Worship is humbly approaching God with a desire to be holy before Him. It is a soul in need of grace that knows that God alone is its source.

About Me

I have been a pastor for nearly 40 years. I have ministered in small, rural churches that have necessitated my working outside the church to support my family. I recently wrote my first book and have others that are waiting to be published. I am conservative in thought and practice. It is my passion in life to be all that the Lord wants me to be. I love Him with all my heart and look forward to being with him some day.